Take A Step Back ~ Chapter 1

Fourteen-year-old Rachel Patuski is very upset because she is no longer grounded, yet still couldn't go out. She wants to go see her friend, but her dad told her to wait until tomorrow, when it's nicer outside. However, she thinks he won't let her because he's still mad at her. It's now 9:00 p.m., with a cold and very rough rain. Rachel, with nothing else to do, falls asleep until the next morning.

She got up the next morning; the sun was beaming through the cracks of the curtain. She smiled at herself knowing that there was nothing that was going to stop her from finally go outside for a morning jog. Her dad might have made her stay home last night and the passed week but today she was free. She would continue with her life just like before. Rachel pulled the wool sweater over her t-shirt and a pair of oversized sweatpants over her shorts. She walked into the kitchen to see her father reading the newspaper. He looked up at her as she headed for the back door.

"Where are you going?" he asked

"For a walk," Rachel said:, "I haven't went for one in almost a week,"

"And whose fault was that," he asked

"Mine," Rachel said

"Well don't be too long," he said looking back at his newspaper.

Rachel stepped outside her house in the fresh air. The fresh air that she hadn't really enjoyed in the past week greeted her. Her brown hair blew in front of her as her legs just started moving. It started as a light jog. Her heart was pumping, feeling good. She was feeling a certain sensation, a drive that she had missed. Her arms began to pump harder, her legs just giving it all it had. She was fully running at ten minutes. She didn't want to stop. She ran the fifteen minutes to the park; she sat down to rest. In less than two minutes she felt the need to keep going.

She got up and began to run again. She ran for another fifteen blocks. She was nearing the east side of the city. She looked at her watch. She had been running for half hour. She didn't want to become grounded again so she turned around and began to run back. When she was nearing the park again she saw her dad driving. Sweat perspiration was building on her pale forehead. Her dad pulled over, and that is when she stopped and looked at him.

"There you are," he said

"Sorry, I was just out running," she said shifting on the spot. She wanted more than anything to just get up and start running

"Why are you so ansy?" he asked noting his daughters uneasiness. He looked into her green eyes and saw exhaust and uneasiness. Rachel exchanged glances with her father. His brown eyes seemed daring more than usual. She noticed the little smirk on his face.

"I hate stopping in the middle of a run," she said; "Plus it is obvious that you don't trust me. You are following me," Rachel stomped her feet. Her uneasiness had left her for the time being. She was playing with her brown hair furiously waiting for a response. She wanted to get up and bolt, start running. Nothing upset her more was then someone trying to stop her from just getting exercise.

"Remember you did steal from me,"

"So you going to hold that against me forever," she said knowing that she didn't do it. Rachel only took the blame; her twin sister was the one who really took the money, but she didn't say anything.

"You had better watch your attitude young lady. Do you want to be grounded again,"

"Sorry," she said in a low voice.

"Now you had better get going home. I got to go to work. Call me when you get through the door,"


"Okay," Rachel said refraining herself from what she really wanted to say. When her dad was out of sight she got up and ran towards the house. When she got into the house she went and 'reassured her father that she was inside the house,'. She sat down on the couch reaching into the secret department she made for herself. It was in between the cushion and the frame. She grabbed a small pill bottle. She opened it and pulled out three pills, putting the lid back on returning it to the secret department.

Rachel almost forced the pills down her throat; She felt the need to have a couple more. Knowing that she shouldn't have anymore the urge overcomes her. She glares at the pale blue wall ahead of her waiting to figure out what she was too next. All she wanted to do was go out for a run. She felt that her run was cut short thanks to her dad. She just wanted to go out for daily exercise; when she became grounded she had to run on the spot, and do sit-ups and push-ups in substitute to going outside. She looked at the clock and realized it was almost eight o'clock and she would have to go to school soon so she headed for the bathroom.

She looked in the mirror at herself; she looked at her cheeks. They looked pudgy to her; they were pale and not refined. Rachel looked away from the mirror and stepped on the scale. She hadn't weighed herself in a week; A day before she was grounded was the exact day. She looked at the scale; she weighed in, eighty eight pounds. The last time she weighed herself she weighed eighty seven pounds; Rachel gulped trying not to let this bother her. She quickly ran out of the bathroom to her bedroom to record her weight; she returned to the bathroom to continue getting ready. She applied some makeup, did her hair and returned to her bedroom to get dressed. She put on a pair of black sweats and a blue t-shirt. She headed out the door at eight thirty.

Rachel walked to the bus stop. She noticed her sister Natalie standing there. Natalie had on her new red sweater. Rachel stared at her with daring eyes. Rachel wanted to make sure Natalie knew that the only reason she had that new sweater was because she was the one who stole from dad. Rachel admitted the only reason she admitted to stealing the money from their dad was because Natalie discovered her diet pills. She knew that Natalie would tell their dad and their dad would overreact. He always overreacted. Natalie looked over at her sister who was standing on the other side of the bus stop bench.

"What are you doing?" she asked Rachel

"Standing for the bus," Rachel replied with a puzzles look.

"Did you take some diet pills," Natalie asked, "I saw you after you came from your run,"

"So," Rachel said a little uneasy, "Are you going to continue to torment me,"

"I'm not tormenting you," Natalie said: "I don't want you knarking on me,"

"Mom and dad don't need to know that I'm trying to lose a little weight. They will overreact,"

"You don't say anything I won't," Natalie explained. Rachel just nodded.

The bus came a few minutes late. Rachel got on to the bus and sat near the back when Ragen came and sat beside her. Ragen was the girl who Rachel had always admired. She was the pretty one in the school. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and the perfect figure. She didn't have freckles, or acne or any of those flaws that most girls had. Rachel wanted more than anything to be pretty like her. Rachel looked at herself as a homely fat girl despite what her family thought of her.

"Rachel," Ragen said: "You want to go to the track today and burn a few,"

"Yes," Rachel said; "I need to get back on track,"

"Want to skip third so we can go?"she asked

"My dad will find out and ground me,"

"Don't worry," Ragen smiled, "I'll call in for you, pretending to be your mom. It will be simple and we will be back before lunch so your nosy sister won't find out,"

"Okay," Rachel smiled,

"Okay," she said; "I got to go. You know I have girl things to figure out,"

Natalie got up and moved and sat beside Rachel. Rachel sat there and stared at her.

"What are you doing with Ragen?" she whispered,

"I was just talking to her," Rachel said; "It is nothing much,"

"Okay," Natalie, "Be careful she hasn't got the best reputation,"

"Okay," Rachel said nodding. Rachel was thinking what do you know? She didn't think that Ragen was all that bad. She was more adventurous than her parents would like, but she made her feel more important. Natalie, her parents or even her older sister wouldn't. Not that it mattered much to her. -